4 Great situations for #networkmarketing and a useful check-list

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”

so Oscar Wilde, the playwright, is reputed to have said. 

It is not such a bad maxim for a networking entrepreneur.

Networking is an increasingly popular method of new business generation through priming the likelihood of people talking about you and your company through introductions, referrals, recommendations and word of mouth advertising.

Networking provides you with an channel through which you can publicise yourself and your business by personal communication with as broad a selection of individuals as possible.

The more people talk about you and what you offer, the more business you are likely to pick up through referral and contacts.

Popular networking situations include:-

  
   1.  Formal networking events organised specifically for potential buyers and sellers to meet each other e.g. lunch clubs

.    

Sideline networking event at CIPD show

       2. Business events which are organised for a different specific purpose but as a sideline provide a networking opportunity. e.g. trade exhibitions 

 3. Social, family and leisure events where some of the people you meet are potential prospects to give business or recommend you to people who they know. ( suspects) e.g. parties, sports clubs, pubs, Round Table   

      4 .Ad hoc spontaneous contacts that by pure chance may be able to connect you with business opportunities e.g. near seat neighbour on a train, plan etc. ex –school friend on Friends united website.

Networking Objectives

•        To win business
•       To collect details of people who may give you business or refer to others who may give you business ( so that you can follow them up)
•       To give these people details of you, your company and your offer so they can pro-actively contact you.
•        To create a positive and accurate impression of what benefits people can achieve by working with you.
•       To get yourself and/or your business remembered so that you will come to mind when people come across a suitable opportunity for you.

As with so much in selling there is no such thing as luck in networking. Luck is where preparation meets opportunities.

So here a simple but useful check-list for networking

Event:_____________   Date:_________

1. ·        Timings of event ______________________________________
2. ·        Acceptance sent?______________________________________
3. ·        Venue_______________________________________________
4. ·        Host Organisation_____________________________________
5. ·        Directions and car parking details_________________________
6. ·        What is my role?______________________________________
7. ·        Who is the likely role?__________________________________
8. ·        Is there a guest list?____________________________________
9. ·        Who are my key contacts?_______________________________
10. ·        What is their reasons attending?__________________________
11. ·        What are my objectives?________________________________
12. ·        Have I prepared my elevator speech?______________________
13. ·        Will I need a “Just a minute” speech_______________________
14. ·        Colleagues attending?__________________________________
15. ·        Business cards in pocket/case?___________________________
16. ·        Research – FT.com, web, Newspapers/local newspapers?______
17. ·        Other information or actions required? ____________________

Good Luck , Good Networking, Good Selling !


Related Links

Going Clubbing ( Networking clubs)

Discover , Connect and Grow through networking

5 minute Biz buster - networking

Networking and Fundraising 'City style'

Ennobled Selling, Discover Connect and Grow through Networking

This post is a 'Tapas sized 'selling tips-to-go

at the  "The Tapas Bar". each post is less than 250 words.

Watching the splendid and historic State banquet in honour of the President of the Republic of Ireland at Windsor Castle on TV last night, gave us a view of modern day royal court behaviour.

As networking events go, both the host, our monarch and her honoured guests last night, had to practice the arts of small talk mingled with serious affairs.

In his maxim No.11 the 17th Spaniard, Baltassar Gracian gives tips for today's courtier, the Business Networker !

Networking Selfie with Mrs Business Biscotti  (Sue)  at London
 launch of Business Biscotti Gold at London SW Biscotti 9th April

His initial encouragement sets our mind to a positive frame

Listening and Conversation

"Let friendly interchange be a school of erudition, and conversation, civilised instruction"

"Make friends your teachers, joining learning's usefulness and conversation's pleasure."

Balance listening with self esteem

"The intelligent ( Gracian is talking about you and me !) combine two pleasures, enjoying the applause that greets what they say and the instruction received from what they hear."

Celebrating with Nina the 2nd Anniversary of
SW Business  at Biscotti morning
 networking meeting at Gloucester Road Casino, London

Gracian further scrutinises

"Usually we are drawn to someone through our own interest., but here, that interest is ennobled."

Theatres of Greatness or Palaces of Vanity ?

"The circumspect ( we again dear reader) frequent the company of eminent individuals whose houses are theatres of greatness rather than palaces of vanity.

"They are those renowned for their discretion whose example and behaviour are oracles in all matters of greatness and whose entourages are also academies of good and gallant discretion."

No time to place bets just now - networking at Business Biscotti

Whether you are networking today at a Casino , an International Exhibition or a State banquet - Good Selling.

Further articles on Networking

Return on Investment on Networking

15 key things to find out at networking events

Are Networking Clubs worth the bother ?

Listen First -Your Nutshell Sell at Networking

 Tapas sized selling tips-to-go

,drop into the "The Tapas Bar".

each post is less than 250 words.

5 minute Busy Busters Sales Network Building Tips

Building your network

Pick one of the following five and action it.

1. Post an article on LinkedIn
2. Stop by / phone a work colleague for quick catch up
3. Send a thank you note to someone whose work you appreciate
4. Check you calendar for any contacts you have yet to put on LinkedIn
5. Digitise / Roladex/ Index any recently collected business cards

Further articles on Networking

Return on Investment on Networking

15 key things to find out at networking events

Are Networking Clubs worth the bother ?

Listen First -Your Nutshell Sell at Networking

For further tapas sized selling tips-to-go

,drop into the "The Tapas Bar".

each post is less than 250 words.

Sales Networking charming your prospect birds out from the trees

Learning to Charm the birds out of the trees





Click here for the robin singing
robin in a holly tree in Cremorne gardens Chelsea Embankment ,London

Spring has eventually come to London this year. The trees of the streets are bursting with pretty blossom.

You can hear the birds twittering but it takes a while to spot them in among the branches of the trees.


Once spotted you need to keep still in order to capture them with the click of the camera shutter.

The zoom on my Fujifilm was just enough to capture this robin and record its song on my you tube channel.

The skill in capturing birds on film got me thinking that it is quite a similar activity to what we do at networking events. We are quasi bird catchers.

The character Papageno in Mozart’s Opera The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) is a bird catcher.

 He charms the birds with his pan pipes and magical bells.

As networkers it is your challenge to charm your birds from your networking branches into your cage.

Perhaps you could envision in your mind , your business card capture or sales leads  as the birds for our  networking cage.

Poster for the current production of Mozart's "Magic Flute"
 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London

In your networking aviary you may encounter a number of different avian  personalities perhaps rather more exotic than robins !


This a playful set of descriptions not to be taken too seriously but then again you might encounter them...

Ostriches

Avoid the social side of networking.  Ostriches are there but don’t want to join in. They will not approach you, but can still be valuable if you can manage to get their heads out of the sand !

Hawks

Know who they want to speak to. Spot their victims from a distance and swoop fast when the opportunity arises !

Owls

Owls are wise but silent. They listen much more than they talk but they usually get the information they need.

Parrots

They provide quantity of noise rather than quality! These birds can be difficult to get away from although sometimes attractive and amusing.

Kookaburras

Kookaburras birds are also known as ‘laughing jackasses’. This is a good description of their contribution !

Seagulls

Clever, high profile and aggressive. 

In the classic film The Birds  Seagulls provide the terror for film director  Alfred Hitchcock .

 Their aggressiveness  takes over any conversation or person they feel will be useful to them and push smaller birds out of their way.

Eagles

Confident, assertive, far sighted.  Eagles prepare well and survey the scene carefully, make intelligent decisions, and with carefully executed manoeuvres catch their prey.

Introductions, referrals, recommendations and ‘word of mouth advertising’ are the most effective, and most cost-effective, methods of new business acquisition in many markets.

Although salespeople cannot directly control them, or guarantee them, you can greatly increase your chances of benefiting from all of them by successful networking.

Good Luck and Good selling my fellow P-P-Papagenos and P-P-Papagenas

Papegeno and Papagena duet You Tube clip

The maestro at work:
Aleksandr charming Nina at a Southwest
London Business Biscotii meeting

Blackbird singing in a London Street SW6

ROI from sales networking - Stacking up sales from networking events

Aleksandr Orlov freeloading at the Business Biscotti event at
  Gloucester Road  Casino, London
He networks everywhere !

We had a really good time at the South West London Business Biscotti meeting  April 10th .

We celebrated its first year so now  it's onwards and upwards to its second year of being ( hence the modified card see photo left).

Not only were there Biscotti  biscuits with the coffee  and refreshments but a lovely slice of Birthday cake for members attending at the Gloucester Road Casino !

Talking with a number of fellow Biscottiers it was interesting to find out how  they use such networking clubs  to help develop their businesses.

I'm sure you attend several networking events, the same as I do and find that you can spend a great deal of time with people who don't necessarily operate in the same business space that you do.

The skill is to find the right events to attend; although this sounds obvious, it isn't easy  there are no instant results.

We meet several people and collect a lot of business cards.

What is the best next step ?

I have adapted and developed a system for following up  which is comprehensive and you probably do some of it anyway.

This is simply a structured way you might find works for you also.

As with many business clubs you get out of it what you put into it.

Some of the folk I met Business Biscotti were experienced net workers ( dare  I say serial networkers) ,one or two were new to the whole process of networking and it got me to think about how fellow sales professionals follow up networking events but also with following up exhibition stand visitors and seminars etc. - so I share these with you.

I have a adapted a process from the classic "Get Clients Now!"™ by C.J. Hayden but also updated with social media approaches etc focused more for the UK market.

Prototype for my Nifty Networking ROI tool

The approach is to sort out your leads in various stacks

e.g. Prospects which you grade into hot, warm and cold leads.

Another stack consists of cards with which you can see no direct link. The  actions just prompts you by asking what can you do for them as a fellow net worker?

Experienced and effective net workers will also act as active sites for others to connect as well.

Hard sell pitching turns most people off at such events.

Often the  universality of the norm of reciprocity * (see below) repays your kindness and they help you connect with the people you would like to meet.

 We feel obligated to repay others what we have received from them. The norm drives us towards fairness in our everyday social interaction, our business dealings and our close relationships, and it helps build trust with others
And then a stack for directly useful contacts to be split between leads to clients and marketing opportunities.

Cards sorted out for action using the nifty
 networking ROI tool prototype

I have made an A4 landscape version of the flow chart which makes for a useful administration tool as the various boxes are about the same size as a business card.

I am trialing a prototype with fellow biscottiers and getting their feedback for the final version.

If you would like to try out one, Nina Tujak ambassador at Business Biscotti South West London has a pdf version or you can get one from me. ( I need to learn how to place a download button of a pdf on Blogger any help on this would be appreciated in the cooments box)

I have nicknamed it the nifty networking ROI tool

Further reading
  *  Norm of reciprocity - Ch 9 of Yes 
 by Golstein, Martin and Cialdini ISBN 978-184668-016-8
www.profilebooks.com  also Regan Coke can study by D.Regan 1971  'Effects of a favour and liking on compliance' Journal of Experimental Social psychology 7:627-39

Since social epidemics have a role to play in networking a re-reading of
 the Tipping Point
- by  Malcolm Gladwell  ISBN 0-349-11346-7 especially Ch 2 The law of the few

Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen p30 -88 is worth it www.twbg.co.uk


Related Links

Business Biscotti

Marie Cure cancer care

15 key things to find out while networking


Are netwoking clubs worth the bother for salespeople


The 5 stages of networking at Sales networking events



http://www.gloucesterroadcasino.co.uk/

15 key things to find out while networking for Sales

The 5 stage process  of Sales Networking ( Opening – Qualify - Position – Close – Follow Up) requires a number of key skills- social and conversational , questioning and listening , relationship building , selling skills, presentation and writing skills.

5 stage process of networking

Here is an exercise  you could try  once or twice during a networking event to help you further hone your networking skills

It will also help you focus and be a better net worker.

The  Take Time Out Exercise

After you have met someone or a  small group of people and you have moved away, go to a corner of the room , table, coffee station, to  the washroom and run through this list to see how your networking skills are faring.

Some of the answers will be on the business cards you have captured. Put any additional info into you pocket notebook, smart phone or on the back of the card.

1.    What was( were} the names of the person(s) you just met?

2.    What were their companies?

3.    What was their job role?

4.    What were their reason(s) for attending the event?

5.    Who would be the ideal networking contact for them to meet ?

6.    Did you offer to keep an eye /ear out to connect anyone you come across at the event who fits that ‘ideal’ ?

   7.    What were their business priority?

8.    What if any personal priorities/obsessions did you identify?

9.    What personal and family background did you find out?

10. What were their career history/background?

11. What was their level of interest in you?

12. What potential business value?

13. What potential value might there be to any product partners?

14. First impressions of them as a personality ?

 Building effective relationships in selling          A simple client personality matrix

15.  Any other useful/relevant information to remember for the future

Related Links

Net working clubs - are they worth the bother?


5 stage networking process

Are Networking Clubs worth the bother for Salespeople ?

Networking clubs : why bother ?

Many salespeople hold that business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts.

 This is because business networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company money.

For example, a business network may agree to meet weekly or monthly with the purpose of exchanging business leads and referrals with fellow members.

It's not unusual for members to meet outside this circle, in their own time, and build their own one-to-one  business relationship with a fellow member.

A Business Networking meeting facilitates groups of like-minded businesspeople to recognise, create, or act upon sales opportunities.

Sales Professionals who wish to demonstrate their presentation skills can attend both general and focused events.

 Many sales professionals prefer face-to-face networking over on line based networking such as Linked In forums  because the potential for higher quality relationships are possible.

 In addition many individuals prefer face-to-face because people tend to prefer to  actually know and meet with those they intend to do business .

Face to face business networking is often facilitated by referral networking clubs

There are several prominent business networking organisations that create models of networking activity that, when followed, allow the business person to build new business relationships and generate business opportunities at the same time.

Networking a 5 stage method

Here are some of the best of the on-line and reality networking clubs and resources worth looking at.

http://www.businessbiscotti.co.uk/   dynamic business networking community that powerfully combines local group meetings, with online business networking and real life

https://www.facebook.com/business  Facebook for business

http://www.meetup.com/  Some business clubs among its huge menu of offerings

http://www.ribi.org/ Rotary International of Great Britain and Ireland

http://www.fsb.org.uk/  Federation of Small Business

http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/  British Chamber of Commerce

https://www.gov.uk/  Gov.uk ( replaces Directgov and Business Link) Business and Self Employed

http://www.smarta.com/  Smarta  A  business support and advice network for start-ups, small business owners and entrepreneurs.

http://www.4networking.biz/  Social and Business

http://uk.linkedin.com/  Linked In

http://www.networking4business.com/  Networking 4 business

https://twitter.com/  Twitter

http://www.findnetworkingevents.com/  On line guide to events

5 stages of Networking at Networking events

Winner of the Business Card draw
Larry Adeyaemi
from EN Start-Ups being presented with his prize from

Nina Tukaj  at the March networking morning

 at Business Biscotti

 Networking and Schmoozing are not every body's 'cup of tea or coffee.'

"I have the social skills of a crushed hedgehog and the  soi-disante* literary types - on the whole- leave me more frigid than a warlock's tit.

I'd sooner have buttocks sawn off , varnished and sold as matching salad bowls in a provincial gift shop than attend any metropolitan literary salon."

So said  author Will Self in an interview to the  London Metro Nov 23rd  in My London - Will Self .
 ( *soi-disante = self proclaimed -I confess I had to look it up !!)

Although we may not have Will Self's vocabulary, I guess some sales people can be put off by business networking meetings in much the same way. Well Mr Self probably has an agent who does the schmoozing work for him .

We don't all have that luxury, so it is another skill that a salesperson has to develop.

As conventional cold calling and even the number of face to face meetings have decreased the number of networking clubs has exploded.

‘Networking’ simply means publicising yourself and your business by personal communication with as wide a selection of individuals as possible.  The more people you talk to about what you offer, the more business you are likely to pick up through referrals and contacts.

A typical structure of a network conversation  typically goes through 5 stages

1. Open     - begin the conversation and introduce yourself

2. Qualify     - quickly establish  what the business potential is (direct or by referral); ask questions and listen carefully; spend minimum time talking about yourself and your company but give enough information to test interest if you are unsure.

3. Position     -if there is business potential then 'briefly nutshell sell' the benefits your company can offer to customers in general and/or that person in particular.

   Nutshell sell

4. Close            -obtain all the necessary information to enable follow-up (usually just a business card is enough); make sure they have your information; then politely move on.

5. Follow-up     -information and initial relationships are only valuable if you do something with them; your most effective follow-up is usually by telephone and /  email/ maybe a Linked In invite; follow-up quickly so that they can still remember you, but most experienced networkers believe that you should leave a gap of one or two days so as not to seem too ‘pushy’.

There's a lot to find out and remember and all to be done in a soft sell conversational manner. Learning to converse charmingly ( rather than smarmingly) is a craft worth practising.

Related Links
Handshakes and exchanging business cards

http://fruitsofsuccesswithhugh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/handshakes-and-exchanging-business.html

Networking to generate business

http://fruitsofsuccesswithhugh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/networking-to-generate-business-17.html

Gulls eggs City Luncheon Charity Networking

http://fruitsofsuccesswithhugh.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/macmillan-gulls-eggs-city-luncheon.html
Bruce King's blog piece  for IOD on Business Card Design

http://blogs.iod.com/2013/03/11/is-your-business-card-losing-you-sales/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-your-business-card-losing-you-sales

Business Biscotti    http://www.businessbiscotti.co.uk/



Nina Tukaj  welcoming members

 at Gloucester Road Casino for Business Biscotti meeting

Donations collected for the Marie Curie Charity